Paleo Coconut Cream Brownies

Paleo coconut cream brownies are gluten-free, refined sugar-free, and flour-free but they’re still 100% decadent and delicious. You’ll never miss the sugar!

Helllllooooooo! Happy 2018! How were your holidays? Were they wonderful? Did you stay up ’til midnight and eat your weight in junk food?

Cookie and I had a ridiculous amount of fun visiting family last month; she especially loved the part where she broke the zipper on her carrier 20 minutes into the flight up to Oregon and got to spend the rest of the flight in my lap. . . #dogmomproblems

But anyway, if you’re like me, you spent December eating cookies for breakfast and potato chips for dinner, and you woke up on the first day of the new year resolving to make a few changes.

Errrr, slight changes. Ever-so-slight.

Maybe, just maybe, it’s time to eat a smidge less refined sugar. (I know! Who am I right now?)

I’m all about indulging at times, but doing it every day for a month has left me feeling like I need to eat nothing but carrots and celery until Easter.

And since I’ve been meaning to get more into paleo baking for the sake of my gluten-intolerant and sugar-shunning loved ones, a new year seemed like the perfect opportunity.

When it comes to brownies, I want ooey, gooey, fudgy bites of chocolate heaven. I’d rather have no brownies at all than eat a “healthy” version with anemic flavor and questionable texture.

So I’ve been tweaking this paleo brownies recipe for months now trying to get it exactly where I, with my high standards, want it.

Fudgy and rich with a swoon-worthy OH-SO-CREAMY coconut topping, no one would ever guess these coconut cream brownies are refined sugar-free AND gluten-free. (Truly, you’ll want to eat the coconut cream topping with a spoon. It’s insane in the most delicious way possible.)

Paleo coconut cream brownies are perfect for those of us trying to eat less refined sugar, but they’re also great for people who like a traditional gluten- and sugar-filled treat.

Because paleo coconut cream brownies are the best of both worlds: healthy and decadent.

Just like I’m hoping 2018 will turn out to be! Or something like that 🙂

Note: if you prefer your paleo brownies with paleo chocolate frosting rather than coconut, the frosting I used in these paleo chocolate zucchini donuts is perfect. Top your cooled brownies with that frosting instead of the coconut cream topping, then refrigerate to set the chocolate. It’s like a chocolate ganache brownie without the guilt!

Whisk the coconut milk, eggs, honey, almond butter, and vanilla extract together in another medium bowl. Gradually stir the cacao mixture into the coconut milk mixture until just combined. Fold in the chopped chocolate.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake 20 to 26 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with just a few crumbs. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Coconut cream topping:

Combine the coconut milk, arrowroot powder, honey, and salt in a small saucepan set over medium heat. Cook, whisking constantly, until mixture thickens significantly and no liquid remains. (It will begin to bubble a little and look like it’s not really thickening, then all of a sudden it will get thick.) Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla and coconut.

Spread over the cooled brownies and refrigerate until coconut layer sets. Slice into bars and serve.

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Comments

Happy 2018 to you and Cookie, Kelsie 🙂 I am glad that you both had a great holiday!
Now a recipe like this is a great way to start the year, I definitely had my fill of sweets and cakes last month and looking to eat a bit less sugar. I love how perfect this recipe sounds, sugar and gluten free and still so delicious.
I definitely can eat the entire batch by myself ( which I will 🙂

Happy New Year, girlie!!! I’m thrilled to hear you had a great holiday season! Our’s was pretty fantastic as well. We ate amazing food, binge watched a ton of TV, and basically lived the best cozy life possible. 😉 Anyways, LOVING these brownies!! I absolutely LOVE ME some coconut, so these have me wishing I wasn’t allergic to cocoa! Going to have to make these for Boy, because YUM! Cheers, doll!

Happy 2018 to you and Cookie! Glad you had a nice holiday!!! These brownies are the perfect balance between treat and healthy. I absolutely love the coconut cream on top. Coconut is one of my fave things ever so these are pretty much meant for me 😉 Have a great upcoming weekend! Can’t wait to see all your delicious recipes in the year ahead 🙂

Yey! You are back, Kelsie! Missed your posts over the holidays, but glad to hear you had such an amazing time. These paleo brownies bring me back memories of when about nine years ago I was told to eat gluten free (and I did for the longest time). Much has changed since:) I would still devour an incident count of these if I found myself at your house:) They look scrumptious. Looking forward to your new recipes!

Happy New Year Kelsie! These brownies sound like my kind of clean eating dessert! And they look fabulous! The coconut cream topping sealed the deal for me! I’m saving this one for later….and by later, I mean this weekend! They are on the baking list!

happy 2018!!!! omg I wish archie was small enough to fit under my seat on the plane! these brownies look SO good, and I can’t believe they’re paleo + healthier! ha ha my news year resolution to drink less wine, boring! ha ha and maybe cut back on the sugars! have a wonderful year Kelsie!

Thank you! To me, arrowroot powder is very similar to cornstarch in its thickening abilities but that could just be my perception. I’ve read that arrowroot shouldn’t be used as a thickener in sauces that use dairy but I’ve never tried it myself so I don’t know exactly what the consequences are.

I definitely need to just eat celery and carrots until Easter!!! So much indulging in December. I always, always need a little something sweet though – so these are PERFECT! I can’t wait to try them. Love that there is actually flaxseed in them. I can basically eat them for breakfast, right? You’re off to a great start to the year, Kelsie!

What a great recipe to start the new year with! I am always on the lookout for delicious gluten-free recipes so this is right up my alley, especially since I can’t resist anything chocolate 🙂 Happy New Year, Kelsie!

Well, all my intentions of ‘being good’ for the New Year have clearly gone out the window. I have a massive bowl of gorgeous chocolate mousse in my fridge, just waiting to be eaten. I still have cookies in the freezer which are so easily accessible it is scary, and I still have chocolates from Christmas, just calling my name…I need help !!!!
I like the sound of these Paleo Coconut Cream Brownies …in fact they are genius….total goodness. Definitely will be trying these out Kelsie 🙂 Have a great week and Happy New Year to you and Cookie 🙂

I’m sitting here thinking about the flight to Oregon with Cookie sitting there in your lap looking out of the window. Hah! I bet she got plenty of extra attention on the trip. 🙂 Also, the holidays here most definitely involved cookies for breakfast and potato chips for dinner. Oops. Breaking out of that really, really bad habit was so hard, too. I don’t care how delicious the soup is…it’s not potato chips and cookies! Love this brownie concept. The flavor sounds spot on and pretty cool use of flaxseed meal, too. Cheers, Kelsie!

Wow, I never thought of using flaxseed meal instead of flour – a great idea, since I always have it in the fridge to use in granola. Like you, healthy + decadent is always my goal and I don’t want healthy unless it’s decadent as well. Is that wrong? Anyway, love this recipe! Can’t wait to give it a whirl! Happy New Year! And glad you had a wonderful Holidat!

Kelsie, these are fantastic! I can’t wait to make some for my son next time he is in town, since he has to eat only gluten free foods and it is so hard to come up with special treats for him. And it was nice to see you over the holidays 🙂

I’ve never clicked on a post so fast in my entire life. Oh. My. Freaking. G-bomb. You literally just saved my month of going refined sugar free. Not only did I quit drinking for the month but I’m avoiding refined sugar too. Let’s just say I’m struggling at the moment and craving sweets like crazy! I’m pinning for later so I can make these brownies this weekend!